Greetings, greetings. Just carrying out a sound check here. Is the transmission still live? As we navigate our way into the second-last weekend of the Premier League season, we seem to be witnessing an actual competition for the title. Arsenal are currently leading, just one point clear of Manchester City. City, however, have one extra match left to play. On the mathematical front, the final outcome is yet to be determined.
It remains uncertain whether this is a genuine title contest or merely an adeptly crafted mirage that we’re experiencing.
After all, City hasn’t squandered points to any team other than immediate title competitors for nearly three months. They’ve remained undefeated in the league since December and have chalked up six consecutive victories. Maintaining this winning streak for three more matches will secure the league title for City, while two wins could suffice if Arsenal falter at Old Trafford this coming Sunday.
Danger, threat, defense and attack, roadblocks, flaring tempers and agitated minds: these benchmarks characterise a typical title race. Instead, City have dismissed all of these elements, opting for a serene and flawless cruise to the championship.
The precedent stems from the 2018-19 season when City playfully strung Liverpool along for 15 weeks in what resembled a sophisticated virtual phishing scheme, teasing them with the allure of a trophy that ultimately remained beyond their grasp. Liverpool suffered only one loss all season, secured victory in their final nine matches and ended with 97 points. City, on the other hand, triumphed in their last 14 matches and, lo and behold, finished on 98.
This season has ostensibly felt more closely contested, with Liverpool originally making it a tripartite competition and multiple lead changes resulting from match scheduling inconsistencies. However, the overarching narrative has largely remained unaltered: City incrementally stepping up their game until outpacing every competitor became an inevitability.
It’s highly possible that Arsenal’s own campaign staggers following their 2-0 loss at home to Aston Villa in April. They can still ascend to their personal pinnacle and reach 89 points – their highest score since the legendary Invincibles season. With a final tally of 16-1-1 in their concluding 18 matches, they could arrive at the peak only to find City standing there before them, grinning and waving the blue flag of victory.
The last month of their season may wind up being one big time sink, with all their energies spent in a fruitless pursuit of a seemingly tangible goal.
In this regard, they wouldn’t be the only ones. For some time now, a whole mechanism designed around football league competition – in the form of fervent commentators, ominous headlines and rambling radio call-in segments – has been constructed, awaiting an epic conclusion, as if an exciting ending could simply be conjured up by magical words.
On the other hand, it’s quite astounding just how minimal the dramatic turns have been, how insignificant the uproar and commotion, and the startling absence of the psychological maneuvers typically associated with a tightening championship race.
The output from City, on the contrary, resembles the subtle electrical buzz of a home device that has long been overlooked yet consistently relied upon. Everyone is prepared and unified, with every tendril aimed towards a singular goal and all senses attuned to a sole focus.
The only real hullabaloo has been some whispers concerning Jackie Grealish’s future and prospective midfield recruitment for the upcoming summer window. City know this is their bread-and-butter, and they understand it better than anyone else.
Beyond this, a chilling serenity prevails. There’s a notion that City, as a club, is propelled by resentments and hostilities, driven by antagonism and always ready for skirmishes at any given moment. Maybe this holds water at the executive level, or in the enigmatic realm of the internet where City supporters consistently outdo others in fostering conspiracy theories and perceived slights, eager to be disliked.
However, within the solid boundaries of their sky-blue locker room, Pep Guardiola has long since mastered the skill of dimming the lights, suppressing the clamour and softening the sharp corners in order to sculpt a seamless winning mechanism.
This is clear from the monotonously dull Netflix series documenting their victorious season, a production so devoid of inner conflict that at one juncture we’re subjected to several minutes of Grealish speaking earnestly about his fondness for Bovril. “Oh, those Bovrils at Bristol City, sublime,” Grealish praises. “Isn’t it wonderful? Manu [Akanji], have you ever had a Bovril, are you a fan of gravy? I took about eight with me. I was distributing them. Bovvy. I adore it.”
Guardiola’s inherent serenity partly emerges from his experience, not only from familiarity with such situations but also from the assurance that another title won’t fundamentally alter his legacy. As he verbalised earlier this month, “My perception of this season won’t be shaped by either victory or defeat. Should we end up losing all four games, does that mean I’ve lost faith in my team? That’s unthinkable.”
Earlier season injuries have fully healed, leaving the team in prime condition for their upcoming game against Fulham on Saturday afternoon. In the meantime, Arsenal is left in a state of anticipation before their game against Erik Ten Hag’s Manchester United, who technically are still in contention. Regardless of Arsenal being tipped as the favourites, Liverpool has found out thrice this season that United, with no pressing need to win and content playing counterattacking football, can pose an unexpected challenge.
Regardless, there’s a high probability that City will soon be celebrating another victory, marking their sixth triumph in seven seasons, an instance of dynastic control that English football enthusiasts often mock in foreign leagues. Perhaps the true ‘farmer’s league’ now is a league that has been purchased, nurtured, and is casually reaping the benefits.
The Premier League’s 115 charges against City are still hovering in the distance, always on the horizon but never getting closer, regardless of the passage of time. Yet the question of City’s ultimate innocence or guilt is somewhat peripheral here. The larger issue at hand is the cost that such scale of dominance, legal or illegal, state-backed or finely manipulating regulations, imposes on the overall spectacle.
Perhaps the bafflement surrounding the title race is an inevitable consequence when a league becomes overly focused on a single club. Clearly, we’re living in City’s world now, and even when we examine the boundaries, the fine distinction between what’s real and what’s projected remains uncertain. – Guardian